Scanning apparatus

ABSTRACT

A scanning apparatus includes a housing with a scan flatbed. A loading glass is installed at the scan flatbed of the housing for loading a to-be-scanned document. A photoelectric sensing device senses the light corresponding to the to-be-scanned document to generate electric signals. The electric signals are transmitted through a flat cable to a motherboard. The flat cable is designed to include a line peak so that the surface friction between the flat cable and the loading glass can be reduced to line friction. The flat cable can also be shifted near the sidewall of the housing and is inclined to the center of the housing so that the friction traces remained on the loading glass is outside the scan flatbed. Thus, the abrasion on the loading glass can be reduced and the quality of the scanning images can be improved.

[0001] This application incorporates by reference of Taiwan applicationSerial No. 91116065, Filed Jul. 18, 2002.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The invention relates in general to a scanning apparatus, andmore particularly to a scanning apparatus, which can improve the qualityof scanning images by reducing the abrasion of the glass surface at thescan flatbed.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] With the progress and evolution of technology, the integrationand application of multi-media have become the current trend. Multimediais the use of computers to present different types of information, suchas text, images and sound, in an integrated way. Several multi-mediadevices capable of capturing images and sounds are therefore developed.In terms of the image processing, the scanning apparatus is a commontool for users to capture images.

[0006] Referring to FIG. 1A, a lateral view of a conventional flatbedscanner is shown. The flatbed scanner includes a housing 102, and acover 104. The housing 102 includes a scan flatbed 106 or a so-calledwindow area. A loading glass 108 is installed at the scan flatbed 106for loading a to-be-scanned document 111. The scanning operation isperformed as the following. The to-be-scanned document 111 is placed onthe scan flatbed 106 and then the cover 104 is closed. A photoelectricsensing device 110 in the housing 102 is driven to sense theto-be-scanned document 111. A light-sensing module 112 in thephotoelectric sensing device 110 then transforms the received imagesignals to electric signals. The electric signals are furthertransmitted to a motherboard 116 by a flat cable 114 so that the imagessensed by the light-sensing module 112 can be output. The light-sensingmodule 112 can be a charge coupled device (CCD) or a contact imagesensor (CIS) to achieve the above-mentioned purpose.

[0007] After the first signals in the light-sensing module 112 areoutput, the photoelectric sensing device 110 is further shifted slightlyto scan the left part of the to-be-scanned document 111 by a step motor(not shown). Subsequently, the light-sensing module 112 is driven againto sense the to-be-scanned document 111. The sensed image signals arethen transmitted by the flat cable 114 and output by the motherboard116. By performing the procedure mentioned above repeatedly, thescanning progress can be completed step by step. The proceduresdescribed above can be applied to both reflective documents andtransmissive documents since these two kinds of documents are differentin the locations of the light sources (not shown) but the same in theprogress of photoelectric sensing devices 110 to sense the documents andin the connection between the photoelectric sensing device 110 and theflat cable 114. Therefore, the theorems for capturing images of twokinds of documents are also the same.

[0008] Referring to FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, a structural diagram of theconnection between the photoelectric sensing device and the motherboardin a conventional flatbed scanner is shown. The flat cable 114, which isusually a soft cable, is located under the loading glass 108. The flatcable 114 is bent around the bottom of photoelectric sensing device 214;one terminal A of the flat cable 114 is connected to the photoelectricsensing device 110, and the other terminal B is connected to themotherboard 116. Therefore, in the natural condition, the flat cable 114will form a raised part 118 with a height h. Because scanners nowadaysare designed to be thinner and thinner, when scanners are fabricated,the raised part 118 of the flat cable 114 will easily touch the loadingglass 108 at the scan flatbed 106 as shown in FIG. 1C. Subsequently,when the step motor drives photoelectric sensing device 110 to pre-scanor scan the to-be-scanned document 111, the raised part 118 of the flatcable 114 will rub against the loading glass 108 and result in frictiontraces at the loading glass 108 as time goes by. The friction traces onthe loading glass 108 will obscure the light to penetrate and result inshadow traces on the scanning images. Therefore, the quality of scanningimages is reduced largely.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a scanningapparatus, using the design of the fold line on the flat cable to changethe surface touch between the flat cable and the loading glass to a linetouch. Therefore, the friction between the flat cable and the loadingglass can be reduced and then the quality of scanning images beimproved.

[0010] The invention achieves the above-identified objects by providinga scanning apparatus. The scanning apparatus includes a housing with ascan flatbed. A loading glass is installed at the scan flatbed forloading a to-be-scanned document. A photoelectric sensing device is setup in the housing for sensing the light corresponding to theto-be-scanned document and transforming light signals into electricsignals. Lastly, a circuit board is installed in the housing foroutputting the electric signals. In addition, a flat cable connects thephotoelectric sensing device to the circuit board for transmitting theelectric signals. The photoelectric sensing device is driven to scan theto-be-scanned document by repeating the procedure mentioned above andthe scanning image is output to complete the scanning progress. The flatcable includes a line peak and only the line peak of the flat cable willtouch the loading glass as the photoelectric sensing device is driven.

[0011] The invention achieves the above-identified objects by providinganother scanning apparatus. By means of adjusting the location of thephotoelectric sensing device and inclining the flat cable, the frictiontraces on the loading glass can be shifted outside the scan flatbed sothat the no shadow traces will produce on the scanning image of theto-be-scanned document and the quality of the scanning image can beoptimized.

[0012] According to the objective of the invention, a scanning apparatusis further provided. The top on the housing of the scanning apparatusincludes a scan flatbed, and a loading glass is installed at the scanflatbed for loading a to-be-scanned document. A photoelectric sensingdevice is set up in the housing for sensing the light corresponding tothe to-be-scanned document and transforming light signals into electricsignals. Lastly, a circuit board is installed in the housing foroutputting the electric signals. In addition, a flat cable connects thephotoelectric sensing device to the circuit board for transmitting theelectric signals. The photoelectric sensing device is driven to scan theto-be-scanned document by repeating the procedure above and the scanningimage is output as the scanning progress is completed. The flat cable isinclined to the center of the housing. The flat cable will touch thepart of the loading glass under the top and outside the scan flatbed asthe photoelectric sensing device is driven.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description of the preferredbut non-limiting embodiments. The description is made with reference tothe accompanying drawings in which:

[0014]FIG. 1A (Prior Art) is a lateral view of a conventional flatbedscanner;

[0015]FIG. 1B (Prior Art) is a structural diagram showing the connectionbetween the photoelectric sensing device and the motherboard in aconventional flatbed scanner;

[0016]FIG. 1C (Prior Art) is a cross-sectional view of the conventionalflatbed scanner, taken along line 1C-1C of FIG. 1A;

[0017]FIG. 2A is a lateral view of the scanning apparatus according tothe first embodiment of the invention;

[0018]FIG. 2B is an enlarged partial view of the flat cable with a linepeak in FIG. 2A;

[0019]FIG. 2C is an enlarged partial view of the flat cable having acambered surface in FIG. 2A;

[0020]FIG. 3A is a lateral view of the scanning apparatus according tothe second embodiment of the invention;

[0021]FIG. 3B is a top view of the scanning apparatus of FIG. 3A;

[0022]FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view of the scanning apparatus, takenalong line 3C-3C of FIG. 3B; and

[0023]FIG. 3D is a schematic view showing the connection among thephotoelectric sensing device, the flat cable, and the motherboard inFIG. 3B.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT THE FIRST EXAMPLE

[0024] Referring to FIG. 2A, a lateral view of the scanning apparatusaccording to the first embodiment of the invention is shown. Thescanning apparatus 200 including a housing 210, a scan flatbed 212, aphotoelectric sensing device 214, a flat cable 216, and a motherboard218. A loading glass 213 is installed at the scan flatbed 212 forloading a to-be-scanned document 215. When the document 215 is to bescanned, light signals from the to-be-scanned document 215 are sensedand transformed to electric signals by the photoelectric sensing device214. Moreover, the electric signals are transmitted to the motherboard218 by the flat cable 216 and then the first image is generated. Thephotoelectric sensing device 214 is driven to scan the to-be-scanneddocument 215 by repeating the procedure mentioned above until the finalscanning image is output to complete the scanning progress.

[0025] Referring to FIG. 2B, an enlarged partial view of the flat cablewith a line peak in FIG. 2A or an enlarged view of the flat cableindicated by the dotted line in FIG. 2A is shown. The flat cable 216bent around the bottom of photoelectric sensing device 214 includes afirst terminal C connected to the photoelectric sensing device 214 and asecond terminal D connected to the motherboard 218. The flat cable 216is designed to include a fold peak 220 as shown in FIG. 2B so that whenthe photoelectric sensing device 214 carries the flat cable 216 andmoves for operating a pre-scan or a scan, only the fold peak 220 of theflat cable 216 will touch the loading glass 213. Therefore, the surfaceabrasion of the loading glass 108 as described in the prior art can bereduced to line abrasion only and the quality of scanning images can beimproved accordingly.

[0026] In addition, referring to FIG. 2C, an enlarged partial view ofthe flat cable having a cambered surface in FIG. 2A is shown. Accordingto the same invention spirit, the flat cable can also be designed tohave a cambered surface curved inwards as the flat cable 226 shown inFIG. 2C. In the same reason, when the flat cable 226 rubs against theloading glass 213, only the crest line 223 of the cambered surface makesa line friction with the loading glass 213 so that the quality of thescanning image can be improved.

[0027] As described above, the flat cable 216 with a line peak or theflat cable 226 having a cambered surface can be covered with anauxiliary sliding pad for rubbing against the loading glass 213. Theauxiliary sliding pad can be made of Teflon. The friction coefficientbetween the auxiliary sliding pad and loading glass 213 is less thanthat between the flat cable 216 (or 226) and the loading glass 213 sothat the line abrasion of the loading glass 213, as described above, canbe further reduced.

THE SECOND EXAMPLE

[0028] Referring to FIG. 3A, a lateral view of the scanning apparatusaccording to the second embodiment of the invention is shown. Thescanning apparatus 300 includes a housing 310, a scan flatbed 312, aphotoelectric sensing device 314, a flat cable 316, and a motherboard318. A loading glass 313 is installed at the scan flatbed 312 forloading a to-be-scanned document 315. When the document 315 is to bescanned, light signals from the to-be-scanned document 315 are sensedand transformed to be electric signals by the photoelectric sensingdevice 314. Moreover, the electric signals are transmitted to themotherboard 318 by the flat cable 316 and then the first image isgenerated. The photoelectric sensing device 314 is driven to scan theto-be-scanned document 315 by repeating the procedure mentioned aboveuntil the final scanning image is output to complete the scanningprogress.

[0029] Referring to FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C at the same time, FIG. 3B is atop view of the scanning apparatus of FIG. 3A and FIG. 3C is across-sectional view of the scanning apparatus, taken along line 3C-3Cof FIG. 3B. The flat cable 316 bent around the bottom of photoelectricsensing device 314 includes a first terminal E connected to thephotoelectric sensing device 314 and a second terminal F connected tothe motherboard 318. The major feature of the second preferredembodiment according to the invention is to adjust the location of themotherboard 318 to the available space near the sidewall 317 of thehousing 310 such that the flat cable 316 is closer to the sidewall 317of the housing 310. Moreover, the flat cable 316 is designed to inclineto the center of the housing 310 as shown in FIG. 3C. In order toincline the flat cable 316, the first terminal E connected to thephotoelectric sensing device 314 and the second terminal F connected tothe motherboard 318 are also designed to incline at the same directionand the same angle with the flat cable 316 as shown in FIG. 3D. By meansof the skillful design, the surface touch between the flat cable 316 andthe loading glass 313 can be reduced to the line touch between theborder 319 of the flat cable 316 near the sidewall 317 and the loadingglass 313 as shown in FIG. 3C. Furthermore, the line touch between theflat cable 316 and the loading glass 313 can be adjusted to locate inthe section under the top 311 and outside the scan flatbed 312 (as the Gand H sections in FIG. 3B or the G section in FIG. 3C). Therefore, whenthe photoelectric sensing device 314 carries the flat cable 316 andmoves for operating a pre-scan or a scan, even the flat cable 316 willrub against the loading glass 313, the friction traces will remain onthe sections G and H of the loading glass 313. Since no shadow traceswill produce on the scanning images, the quality of the scanning imageswill be further improved.

[0030] The scanning apparatus according to the invention has thefollowing advantages: The surface friction between the flat cable andthe loading glass is reduced to a line friction by means of the foldpeak or cambered surface design. In addition, the rearrangement of thephotoelectric sensing device and the design of inclined flat cableskillfully change, the surface touch between the flat cable and theloading glass into line touch outside the scan flatbed. therefore, thefriction traces remained on the loading glass will not affect thequality of the scanning image corresponding to the document to bescanned in the scan flatbed. In conclusion, the scanning apparatus witha simple design can optimize the quality of the scanning images.

[0031] While the invention has been described by way of example and interms of the preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that theinvention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment. To the contrary,it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangementsand procedures, and the scope of the appended claims therefore should beaccorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all suchmodifications and similar arrangements and procedures.

What is claimed is:
 1. A scanning apparatus having a housing with a scan flatbed, a loading glass being installed at the scan flatbed for loading a to-be-scanned document, the scanning apparatus comprising: a photoelectric sensing device, disposed in the housing, for sensing a light signal corresponding to the to-be-scanned document to generate an electric signal; a circuit board, disposed in the housing, for receiving the electric signal; and a flat cable comprising a line peak, for connecting the photoelectric sensing device to the circuit board and transmitting the electric signal; wherein only the line peak of the flat cable touches the loading glass as the photoelectric sensing device is driven.
 2. The scanning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the photoelectric sensing device comprises a contact image sensor (CIS).
 3. The scanning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the photoelectric sensing device comprises a charge coupled device (CCD).
 4. The scanning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the to-be-scanned document is a reflective document.
 5. The scanning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the to-be-scanned document is a transmissive document.
 6. The scanning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuit board is a motherboard.
 7. The scanning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the line peak is a fold peak.
 8. The scanning apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the flat cable is covered with an auxiliary sliding pad.
 9. The scanning apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the auxiliary sliding pad is made of Teflon.
 10. The scanning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flat cable has a cambered surface.
 11. The scanning apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the line peak is a crest line of the cambered surface.
 12. The scanning apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the flat cable is covered with an auxiliary sliding pad.
 13. The scanning apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the auxiliary sliding pad is made of Teflon.
 14. A scanning apparatus having a housing with a scan flatbed, wherein a loading glass is installed at the scan flatbed for loading a to-be-scanned document, the scanning apparatus comprising: a photoelectric sensing device, disposed in the housing, for sensing a light signal corresponding to the to-be-scanned document to generate an electric signal; a circuit board, disposed in the housing, for receiving the electric signal; and a flat cable having a first border and a second border, connecting the photoelectric sensing device to the circuit board for transmitting the electric signal, wherein the first border is higher than the second border; wherein only the first border of the flat cable touches the loading glass that is under a top of the housing and outside the scan flatbed as the photoelectric sensing device is driven.
 15. The scanning apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the photoelectric sensing device comprises a contact image sensor (CIS).
 16. The scanning apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the photoelectric sensing device comprises a charge coupled device (CCD).
 17. The scanning apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the to-be-scanned document is a reflective document.
 18. The scanning apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the to-be-scanned document is a transmissive document.
 19. The scanning apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the circuit board is a motherboard. 